Day 33,, October 9, on the Pennsylvania Turnpike ready to turn south east to Washington DC; Annie gets an A; Grenadier gets an F

Heading Home

We are finally heading home. Annie would probably be happy as a clam if she understood that. She has been a wonderful traveler, but I suspect she has had quite enough history, campgrounds and long days in the Grenadier—and would now happily exchange all of it for her own familiar bed and a trip to the swimming pool.

Although the journey is ending, I will continue posting here over the next several days. There is still much to recount, a considerable number of photographs to organize, and nearly a month’s worth of experiences to put into some kind of sensible order.

One purpose of this trip, in addition to retracing the Donner Party Trail, was to test the merits of the INEOS Grenadier as a vehicle for extended overlanding and camping. Unfortunately, in one crucial respect, it failed that test.

Beginning at Lake Tahoe, when the nights became colder, I began hearing a peculiar crunching and crackling sound inside the vehicle. It sometimes appeared to come from the rear wheel well, sometimes from the sides and sometimes from the ceiling. At its worst, it moved around the interior and continued for several minutes at a time—loud enough to wake me and prevent me from sleeping.

At first, I suspected the refrigerator. I eventually removed it from the Grenadier entirely, but the noise continued. I considered the possibility of a mouse or some other unwanted passenger, but the sound’s relationship to falling temperatures—and the way it migrated throughout the roof and body panels—now makes the vehicle itself the principal suspect. It appears that some combination of metal, insulation, adhesive, trim or interior panels is contracting as the Grenadier cools, producing a surprisingly loud and persistent series of crackles.

Perhaps INEOS can identify and correct it. I certainly hope so. But unless it can be resolved, this may be a fatal flaw—not necessarily for someone who uses the Grenadier only as transportation, but for someone who bought it specifically to sleep inside during long journeys. A vehicle intended for overlanding is not much use as a camper if its own bodywork keeps its occupant awake.

That is profoundly disappointing. I had very high expectations for the Grenadier, and in many ways it has been exceptionally well suited to this trip. But at the moment, I cannot help wondering whether all those celebrated tests in remote and hostile environments involved less wilderness than advertised—and rather more driving back and forth to English country clubs.

For now, however, Annie and I are pointed east. Washington lies ahead, our own beds are waiting, and an extraordinary journey is nearing its end.

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